Hitting the Mark
Devoted to Unity & Peace – Part 6

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Continuing from yesterday’s devotional, we see that after we get our thought life under control we move on to making sure we have peace in our hearts about the plans that we make. Letting the peace of God rule over our hearts is key to be a peacemaker in all areas of our lives. This word “rule,” in the original Greek language, is “brabeuo.” The literal meaning is to arbitrate or to govern. When we are deciding what to do or say to a person that we are having tension with, we must look for the peace of God in our hearts; is it there or is it missing, as we consider our actions? Someone said that this word “rule” could be replaced with the word “umpire” and be more accurate. In other words, when considering a future decision or action, let the peace of God umpire your decision. If you don’t feel peaceful about the thoughts you are having, determine not to follow that path. If you feel God’s peace, consider that a green light to move forward.

When we are dealing with a conflict, our flesh has a lot of influence on what we “want” to say or do. Our first thoughts are usually wrong thoughts! We want to tear into that person, giving them a piece of our minds. We want to defend ourselves from their hurtful accusations and we can feel justified in our anger. However, don’t allow your first thoughts to rule, slow down and see what God’s peace has ruled! We often make the situation worse by jumping into actions, using words that we will need to apologize for later. Let the peace of God be the umpire, calling the right action, directing the godly words that will bring a resolution to the situation. He knows best! Listen to your heart, do you have peace about your plan of action or words.